The Arctic Ocean is the smallest, shallowest and freshest of all oceans.
Description and characteristics
The Arctic Ocean is conditionally divided into three parts: the Canadian basin, the North European and the Arctic. It is located between North America and Eurasia. The small size of the water area allows some geographers to consider the ocean inland sea Atlantic.
Area: 14.75 million sq. km
Average depth: 1225 m, maximum - 5527 m (point in the Greenland Sea)
Average temperature: in winter - from 0°C to -4°C, in summer the water can warm up to +6°C.
Volume: 18.07 million cubic meters
Seas and bays: 11 seas and Hudson Bay cover 70% of the ocean.
Currents of the Arctic Ocean
Shipping in the Arctic is less developed than in other oceans, and therefore the currents are far from being fully studied. To date, the following are known:
Cold:
East Greenland- washes Greenland from the east and from the west and carries the cold waters of the Arctic to the Atlantic. Speed: 0.9-1.2 km/h, water temperature rises to 2°C in summer.
Transarctic one of the main currents of the ocean. It originates near the coast of Chukotka and Alaska due to the runoff waters of rivers that flow into the ocean. Further, the current crosses the entire Arctic Ocean and through the strait between Svalbard and Greenland enters the Atlantic.
This current passes through the entire ocean in a wide strip, capturing the North Pole and ensuring the continuous movement of ice.
Warm:
Gulfstream represented in the Arctic by its offshoots. First of all, it is the North Atlantic, which partially reaches the waters of the Arctic Ocean, as well as the Norwegian and North Cape.
Norwegian- washes the coast Scandinavian Peninsula and moves further to the northeast, significantly softening the weather and climate in Scandinavia. Speed 30 m/s, water temperature 10-12°C.
North Cape- branches off from the Norwegian current and stretches along the northern coast of Scandinavia up to Kola Peninsula. Thanks to warm waters North Cape current part Barents Sea never freezes. Speed 0.9-1.8 km/h, temperature in winter 2-5°C, in summer 5-8°C.
Svalbard- Another branch of the Gulf Stream, a continuation of the Norwegian Current, which moves along the coast of Svalbard.
The underwater world of the Arctic Ocean
The harsh conditions of the Arctic belt led to the poverty of the flora and fauna of the ocean. The exceptions are the North European Basin, the White and Barnets Seas with the richest flora and fauna.
The flora of the ocean is represented mainly by fucus and kelp. And also the waters of the ocean are rich in phytoplankton, of which there are over 200 species.
The fauna is unevenly distributed. To animal habitats big influence It has not only the temperature of the water, but also the currents of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
Fish - more than 150 species (among them salmon, cod, flounder, herring are commercial).
Birds - about 30 species: guillemots, white geese, eiders, guillemots, black goose. Birds live here in colonies.
Mammals: whales, narwhals, walruses, beluga whales, seals.
It should be noted that animal world The Arctic Ocean has two features: gigantism and longevity. Jellyfish can reach 2 meters in diameter, spiders - up to 30 cm. And longevity is explained by the fact that in harsh climatic conditions development life cycles happens much more slowly.
Exploration of the Arctic Ocean
Until now, disputes continue about whether to single out this area as an independent ocean. Many countries officially call it the sea. Even the names in different languages are different.
In 1650, the Dutch geographer Varenius first dubbed the water of the north an ocean, giving it the name Hyperborean. Among other peoples, it was called Scythian, Tatar, Arctic, Breathable. In the 20s years XIX century, the Russian admiral F. Litke first proposed the full name - the Arctic Ocean. In countries Western Europe and America, this ocean is called the Arctic Ocean.
First written reference about the ocean dates back to the 4th century BC. Until the 16th century, research was local in nature. The peoples who lived on the northern coasts of Iceland, Ireland, Scandinavia and Russia plied the coastal waters where they fished and hunted.
more thorough and large-scale research water areas began with the development trade relations between states. Here are the main dates and the biggest discoveries:
1594-1596 - three expeditions by V. Barents in order to find north way to Asia. Barents was the first to stay for the winter in the Arctic.
1610 - Mr. Hudson reached the strait, which now bears his name.
1641-1647 - the expedition of S.I. Dezhnev, the discovery of the strait between Asia and America, which would later be called Bering.
1733-1743 - Great Northern Expedition. More than 550 people took part in it. 7 detachments were created under the leadership of V. Bering, H. Laptev, D. Laptev, S. Chelyuskin, F. Minin, G. Gmelin, G. Miller. Each squadron was assigned separate plot coasts and coastal waters. As a result, scientists have detailed maps coasts of Siberia, the Bering Strait was rediscovered, the coasts of North America, numerous islands were described and mapped.
1845 - Englishman D. Franklin's expedition, discovery of the Northwest Passage.
1930s - the conquest of the Northern Sea Route.
1937-1938 - the work of the first polar research station "North Pole" was organized on a drifting ice floe.
1969 - W. Herbert's expedition reached North Pole. This is an officially recognized date, although back in 1908-1909 two Americans at once - R. Peary and F. Cook claimed that they had visited the Pole. But many researchers express doubts about the reliability of these statements.
1980 - Russian scientists compiled the most detailed atlas of the ocean.
Since the end of the 20th century, comprehensive study ocean, numerous institutes and laboratories have been created in Russia, Norway, Iceland, Canada, and the USA.
The Arctic Ocean holds almost a quarter of the world's oil reserves.
The waters of the ocean form the effect" dead water". Once in this, the ship cannot move, even if all engines are started on full power. This is because surface and subsurface waters have different density, and internal waves are formed at the place of their connection.
In terms of the number of islands, the Arctic Ocean ranks third after the Pacific. And most of islands belongs to Russia.
Drifting ice floes are used by both humans and animals as vehicle: people build research stations here, and polar bears use ice floes to overcome long distances.
At the North Pole (as well as at the South) there is no time. All lines of longitude converge here, so the time always shows noon. People working at the Pole usually use the time of the country they come from.
And sunrise and sunset at the pole occurs once a year! In March, the sun rises, marking the beginning of the polar day, which lasts 178 days. And in September - it sets, and a long polar night(187 days).
This ocean is recognized as the smallest in area and depth. It is located in the central part of the Arctic. Its location is the key to answering the question of which continents the Arctic Ocean washes. Its second name is Polar, and the waters reach the shores of the North American and Eurasian continents.
Characterization of ocean conditions
The area occupied by the Arctic Ocean is small, and it does not interfere with the appearance in the basin a large number islands. And these are not small rocks that come to the surface, but mainland archipelagos large area (New Earth, Svalbard, Greenland, etc.).
The continents that are washed by the Arctic Ocean are the northernmost on the planet. Cold waters are partly warmed by warm currents, which come from the Atlantic, bypassing Northern Europe. A slightly heated current comes from the side passing through It has a certain effect and the circulation of warm air masses. AT winter period the ocean is bound by a thick ice crust, the temperature usually does not rise above -40 ºC.
What continents are washed by the Arctic Ocean?
While studying water shell Earth is an unmissable space that connects two continents. The polar ocean is limited by the following and North America. Access to other oceans occurs through the straits between the continents.
The main part of the water area consists of seas, most of which are marginal and only one is inland. Many islands are located near the continents. washes the continents, the coasts of which are beyond the Arctic Circle. Its waters are located in the harsh Arctic climate zone.
ocean climate
At geography lessons, schoolchildren are explained which shores are washed by the Arctic Ocean, and what are its climatic features. Arctic air is much warmer than Antarctic air. Because the polar waters receive heat from adjacent oceans. With the last of them, the interaction is less active. As a result, it turns out that the Northern Hemisphere is "warmed up" by the Arctic Ocean.
The impact of air currents from the west and southwest led to the formation of the North Atlantic Current. are transported parallel to the coast of the Eurasian continent in eastbound. They are met by streams passing through the Bering Strait, from the water area Pacific Ocean.
Known natural feature these latitudes - the presence of an ice crust on the waters. The polar ocean washes the shores of the continents where the polar circle is dominated by low temperatures. Ice cover also occurs due to the low concentration of salts in the surface layer of water. The cause of desalination is abundant river runoff from the continents.
Economic use
What continents are washed by the Arctic Ocean? North America and Eurasia. However economic importance it represents more for the countries that have access to it. The harsh local climate prevents the search for deposits of natural resources. But, despite this, scientists managed to explore hydrocarbon deposits in the shelf of some northern seas, as well as off the coast of Canada and Alaska.
The fauna and flora of the ocean are not rich. Near the Atlantic, fishing and algae production, as well as seal hunting, are carried out. Whaling ships operate within tight quotas. (NSR) began to be mastered only in the 20th century. Through it, ships can get from Europe to Far East. Its role in the development of the Siberian region is great. They are transported by sea forest resources and ore, but deliver products and equipment to the region.
The duration of navigation is 2-4 months a year. Icebreakers help extend this period in some areas. The work of the NSR in Russian Federation provide different services: polar aviation, a complex of stations for observing the weather.
History of study
What continents are washed by the Arctic Ocean? What are the weather and natural conditions beyond the polar circle? Polar explorers were looking for answers to these and many questions. The first trips by sea were made on wooden boats. People hunted, fished, studied the peculiarities of northern navigation.
Western navigators polar ocean tried to scout short cut from Europe to India and China. Huge contribution made an expedition that began in 1733 and lasted a decade. The feat of scientists and navigators cannot be underestimated: they mapped the outlines of coastline from Pechora to the Bering Strait. Information about flora, fauna and weather conditions collected in late XIX century. In the first half of the next century, a passage through the ocean was made during one navigation. The sailors made measurements of depths, the thickness of the ice crust and meteorological observations.
Education
What continents are washed by the Arctic Ocean? Its features
March 24, 2016This ocean is recognized as the smallest in area and depth. It is located in the central part of the Arctic. Its location is the key to answering the question of which continents the Arctic Ocean washes. Its second name is Polar, and the waters reach the shores of the North American and Eurasian continents.
Characterization of ocean conditions
The area occupied by the Arctic Ocean is small, and it does not obstruct the appearance of a large number of islands in the basin. And these are not small rocks that come to the surface, but continental archipelagos of a large area (Novaya Zemlya, Svalbard, Greenland, etc.).
The continents that are washed by the Arctic Ocean are the northernmost on the planet. Cold waters are partly warmed by warm currents that come from the Atlantic, bypassing Northern Europe. A slightly heated current comes from the Pacific Ocean, passing through the Bering Strait. The circulation of warm air masses also has a certain effect. In winter, the ocean is bound by a thick ice crust, the temperature usually does not rise above -40 ºC.
What continents are washed by the Arctic Ocean?
While studying the water shell of the Earth, one cannot miss the space that connects the two continents. The polar ocean is limited by the following continents: Eurasia and North America. Access to other oceans occurs through the straits between the continents.
The main part of the water area consists of seas, most of which are marginal and only one is inland. Many islands are located near the continents. The Arctic Ocean washes the continents, the coasts of which are beyond the Arctic Circle. Its waters are located in the harsh Arctic climate zone.
Related videos
ocean climate
In geography lessons, schoolchildren are explained which shores are washed by the Arctic Ocean, and what are its climatic features. Arctic air is much warmer than Antarctic air. Because the polar waters receive heat from adjacent oceans. With the last of them, the interaction is less active. As a result, it turns out that the Northern Hemisphere is "warmed up" by the Arctic Ocean.
The impact of air currents from the west and southwest led to the formation of the North Atlantic Current. water masses are transferred parallel to the coast of the Eurasian continent in an easterly direction. They are met by streams passing through the Bering Strait from the Pacific Ocean.
A well-known natural feature of these latitudes is the presence of an ice crust on the waters. The polar ocean washes the shores of the continents northern hemisphere where low temperatures prevail beyond the Arctic Circle. Ice cover also occurs due to the low concentration of salts in the surface layer of water. The cause of desalination is abundant river runoff from the continents.
Economic use
What continents are washed by the Arctic Ocean? North America and Eurasia. However, it is of greater economic importance for countries that have access to it. The harsh local climate prevents the search for deposits of natural resources. But, despite this, scientists managed to explore hydrocarbon deposits in the shelf of some northern seas, as well as off the coast of Canada and Alaska.
The fauna and flora of the ocean are not rich. Near the Atlantic, fishing and algae production, as well as seal hunting, are carried out. Whaling ships operate within tight quotas. Northern sea route(NSR) began to be mastered only in the 20th century. According to it, ships can get from Europe to the Far East much faster. Its role in the development of the Siberian region is great. Forest resources and ore are transported from there by sea, and products and equipment are delivered to the region.
The duration of navigation is 2-4 months a year. Icebreakers help extend this period in some areas. The work of the NSR in the Russian Federation is provided by various services: polar aviation, a complex of stations for observing the weather.
History of study
What continents are washed by the Arctic Ocean? What are the weather and natural conditions beyond the Arctic Circle? Polar explorers were looking for answers to these and many questions. The first trips by sea were made on wooden boats. People hunted, fished, studied the peculiarities of northern navigation.
Western navigators across the polar ocean tried to explore a short route from Europe to India and China. A great contribution was made by the expedition, which began in 1733 and lasted a decade. The feat of scientists and navigators cannot be underestimated: they mapped the outlines of the coastline from Pechora to the Bering Strait. Information about flora, fauna and weather conditions was collected at the end of the 19th century. In the first half of the next century, a passage through the ocean was made during one navigation. The sailors made measurements of depths, the thickness of the ice crust and meteorological observations.
Despite large area Russia is washed by only 13 seas, 12 of which belong to three oceans (Pacific, Arctic, Atlantic) and one sea-lake belonging to the internal drainless basin of Eurasia. The seas are located on four lithospheric plates(Eurasian, North American, Sea of Okhotsk and Amur).
All seas are different natural signs such as origin, geological structure, relief and shape of the bottom, depth of sea basins, temperature, etc.
Seas of the Arctic Ocean
The largest group of seas that wash Russia belongs to the Arctic Ocean. This group includes the Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, Barents, Chukchi and White seas.
They wash Russia from the north. It is noteworthy that only the White Sea is inland, all other seas are continental marginal. Between the seas of the Arctic Ocean, the boundaries are marked by islands and archipelagos (Franz Josef Land, Severnaya Zemlya, Novaya Zemlya, Svalbard, etc.), and where the border is not clearly visible, it is carried out mentally. total area of these seas reaches 4.5 million km ^ 2, and the average depth is only 185 meters.
Since all these seas are on the shelf of the mainland, they are all shallow. The deepest sea is the Laptev Sea. Its northern part occupies the edge of the Nansen Deep Basin. The depth of the sea in this place reaches 3385 meters. Due to this, the average depth of the Laptev Sea reaches 533 meters.
In winter, its temperature ranges from -0.8°С to +1.7°С, and in summer from +0.8°С to +10°С. The second place of honor is occupied by the Barents Sea, maximum depth which reaches 600 meters, and the average depth is only 222 meters. The third place was taken by the Kara Sea.
Although its maximum depth is greater than the Barents Sea and reaches 620 meters, its average depth barely reaches 111 meters, which is 2 times less than that of the Barents Sea. The last 3 places in terms of depth are occupied by: White (maximum depth - 350 meters, average depth - 67 meters), Chukotka (maximum depth - 160 meters, average - 71 meters) and East Siberian (maximum depth - 155 meters, average - 54 meters ) seas.
Seas of the Pacific Ocean
The three seas of the Pacific Ocean, which wash Russia from the east, are the largest and deepest. Their average depth reaches 1354 meters, which is 7 times more than the average depth of the seas of the Arctic Ocean. This group includes the seas: Bering, Okhotsk and Japan.
Between themselves, these seas are separated by the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Sakhalin Island. East End The Kamchatka Peninsula is washed directly by the waters of the Pacific Ocean. It can also be noted that these seas are the boundary between the very major mainland and ocean of the planet.
The deepest sea of the entire group is the Bering Sea. Its maximum depth reaches 4151 meters, and the average - 1640 meters. In winter, its temperature ranges from -1.5°С to +3°С, and in summer - from +4°С to +11°С. This sea is mixed, continental-marginal type.
The Sea of Japan is in the middle, the maximum depth of which reaches 3699 meters, and the average - 1535 meters. In winter, the temperature of this sea ranges from 0 to +4°C, in summer - from +18 to +25°C. On the last place the Sea of Okhotsk protrudes. Its maximum depth is 3521 meters, and the average is only 821 meters. In winter, its temperature ranges from -1.5 to +1.8°C, and in summer 6-7°C.
Seas of the Atlantic Ocean
This group includes three seas: Black, Baltic and Azov. They go deep into the mainland and wash small parts of it, and their connection with the ocean passes through numerous straits. All these seas are inland.
The Black Sea is the warmest of the seas washing the shores of our Motherland. Its temperature in winter is from 0 to 7°C, and in summer 25-26°C, its maximum depth reaches 2210 meters, and the average - 1315 meters. It lies in a tectonic depression, which is bordered by a continental slope. Communication with the ocean is carried out through the seas: Marmara, Aegean, Mediterranean and the straits: Bosphorus, Dardanelles, Gibraltar.
The Baltic Sea is the westernmost of the seas bordering Russia. Its maximum depth is very small and reaches only 470 meters, and its average depth is 51 meters. In winter, its temperature fluctuates around -1°С, and in summer - from +17 to +17°С. The Baltic Sea is located in a tectonic trough at the junction of the Baltic Shield with the Russian Plate. FROM Atlantic Ocean it is connected through the shallow Danish Straits and the North Sea.
The Sea of Azov is the smallest and shallowest sea on the planet. Its maximum depth is only 13 meters, and the average is 7 meters. Shelf inland sea, connection with the ocean is carried out with the help of the Black Sea, into which it flows through a shallow Kerch Strait. Its depth increases slowly and smoothly as it moves away from the coast. In winter, the temperature fluctuates around 0°С, and in summer it reaches +23-24°С.
Caspian sea-lake
The sea, which has repeatedly lost and restored its connection with the oceans. The most recent transformation of the Caspian Sea ended with the fact that as a result of uplifts in the area of the Kumo-Mychinskaya depression, it was finally isolated and became completely related to the drainless Eurasian basin.
Its area reaches 371 thousand km ^ 2, and its depth reaches 1025 meters. On the this moment Caspian Sea is the largest endorheic sea. The sea temperature in winter ranges from 0 to +10°С, and in summer - +24 - +28°С. His hydrological regime and organic world depend on nature and its changes within the sea basin itself, in particular the Volga basin, which is located entirely within our Motherland.
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